Generations

There is talk once again about the different generations, and how Generation X, the supposed slacker generation is growing old. I wrote an essay about this subject some 20 years ago. So let me preface this by saying that I have family members in all these generations, the good and the bad. I also have friends, so my opinion is an observation and not meant to be divisive or insulting to anyone. The conventional wisdom is because I was born in 1964, that I am a Baby Boomer or Boomer and not a Generation X'er or an Ex'er. I don't identify with Boomers, like my Uncles who are 16 years, and 14 years older than me. I identify more with people born after 1960 and before 1968. So that is where I am. So here is my opinion.

                                     Generation X

In the media, there has been much talk about Generation X, by those of other generations. These other generations perpetuate rifts that fuel the fires of resentment. These generations: The Greatest Generation, The Silent Generation, and the Baby Boomers are overly indulgent, judge harshly that what they do not understand, and are a hypocritical lot. These generations live in the past. The oldest of these is the Greatest Generation.

The Greatest Generation was the last one to have purpose when they were young enough to still have direction. This Generation was the last to fight in a declared war. Born just after the turn of the twentieth century to the mid 1920's, they lived through the greatest economic upheaval in of the twentieth century, the 1930's. The boom and bust cycle of their lives have given them a black and white view of life. A view that was influenced by poverty, hunger and, war. A view that has influenced politics, economics and, civilization for the last fifty plus years.



They also lived through the greatest economic boom of this century, post-World War Two. The Greatest Generation either cannot or will not understand employer disloyalty, government bankruptcy or, the economic realities of the 1990's. Their viewpoint continues to widen the rift between it and the Silent Generation. The Silent Generation is more judgmental than the Greatest Generation.

The Silent Generation, born from the late twenties to the early forties, has worked all of their life, and thinks that it is as easy to get and keep a job in the 1990's as it was in the 1950's. They also think that anyone who does not have a job is lazy and does not want to work. They all are structured conformists. They made their mark, despite not making a stand for or against anything in their lives. This generation is obsessed with money, possibly because they grew up poor as a result of being children of the depression. They inherited the black and white view of life from their parents.

This Generation has earned their retirement, and God forbid anyone takes it away from them. From their own myopic viewpoint they have a right to be happy. It must be nice to have a living in later years, unlike most of the members of Generation X. This generation thinks Social Security will be around when X'ers retire. Luckily for them they won't be around to see how wrong they actually are.



The Baby Boomer Generation is the most hypocritical Generation of them all. The Baby Boomers look down on the X'ers like they are freaks, because they want the same things in the same period that they did. In the 1960's when they were young, the Baby Boomers were anti-establishment. They protest and or marched about everything from The Vietnam War to Civil Rights. "Don't trust anyone over thirty" was one of the many slogans of the day



In the 1990's these "revolutionaries" are the establishment that they once so vehemently denounced. They are now the stockbrokers, lawyers, and accountants who stole their fortunes from other greedy stockbrokers, lawyers and accountants from the same time. They drive around in their BMW automobiles, wearing their $1000 Armani suits, Gucci shoes, Rolex Watches, and talking on their cellular phones, looking down on anyone who is unemployed or poor. This entire Generation turned on their kind.

The Baby Boomer generation is the worst of hypocrites. They were the most Idealistic in their youth, and the most greedy as they grew older. Generation X does not pretend to be anything it is not. The economic realities of the 90's differ from those of the past. Employers are different today than they were in the past. No longer are employers loyal to employees. Employers do not offer things like health benefits, job security, profit sharing, or even a future. With Social Security going broke by the year 2029 what do X'ers. Have to look forward to in their later years. The X'ers want what they can get now before all the other generations waste the countries' resources. The baby boomers changed their purpose to suit their opportunistic greed, and are no better than the Generations they themselves denounce.